slowbert

29 minutes ago, halboyles said:

Thank you!  You will be amazed at the difference between our system and your old linkage.  

I just put a new @halboyles linkage in this past weekend. Hopefully get the car started this coming weekend - for the first time in 18 months…

2 hours ago, M10Fan said:

It is a 76. I have looked at the subframe and can confirm it is the one in the video posted by Son of Marty. 

Looks like I am going to learn how to remove the subframe. 

Before going through all that trouble, make sure that the engine mount is actually broken, as opposed to the nut working itself loose.  It may be as simple as an M10 nut (and lock washer) on the engine mount.

If not, removing the engine/subframe takes a bit of time, but it is not hard.  

Take lots of pictures of the car beforehand, noting all the connections between the engine/transmission/subframe and the rest of the car.  Slowly, methodically, remove the connections (electrical, mechanical, water, brakes, linkages, etc.) and label everything.  Remove the hood to make your life easier and get access.  Probably easier to remove distributor to give clearance, too.

With the car on jack stands, use an engine hoist to hold the engine/subframe while you remove the six bolts holding the subframe.  Then gently, slowly, lower the subframe on a furniture dolly.  Once you disconnect the hoist from the engine, you can use the hoist to get the car way up in the air and roll the engine/subframe out from under the car.

It will take a bit of time, but it is not hard.  Just be patient.

While you have it out of the car, you can make the project extra expensive by disassembling the suspension, powder coating all the parts, new bushings, new shocks, new wheel bearings, painting the engine bay, new insulation in the engine bay, refresh the brake lines, refresh master cylinder, new clutch/pressure plate, 5 speed...by then, you probably need to do the same thing on the rear suspension.

1 hour ago, irdave said:

I wish I would have seen this earlier! I took all of last week off and could have helped. I have an ATV jack that I usually put the engine on to help lift/lower it... Regardless, woohoo!

Thanks for the offer!  I did it solo and it was far easier than I thought it would be.

Next on the plate is to do the transmission mount so that the new Getrag 245 is properly aligned with @jimk's driveshaft.  Now that the motor is in place, I have a flurry of little projects that need doing - and maybe soon I can hear what it sounds like again.

Having done the motor from the bottom and the top, I will always do it this way.  Far better than wrestling it in from the top.

As suggested, I used the engine hoist to get the car way up in the air and sitting on jack stands.  Rolled the engine/transmission underneath.

I used the engine hoist to bring the car back to 'level' on the jack stands.  Then gently and slowly raised the engine/subframe, watching the suspension and keeping everything aligned.

I had to run the engine hoist in from the side, letting the legs of the hoist slide underneath the transmission to lower the car, then start lifting the engine.

The whole process is very controlled and gentle, far better than having all that weight swinging precariously when doing it from the top.

No need for all the profanity.  It is just a car...and it isn't that big a deal to torque a few bolts. 

If you are frustrated now, just wait...

I can't see if the cam is lined up with the registration mark or if the crank is at TDC.  If it is off just a bit, try rotating the crank a bit until you get the gear to pop into place.  Then check the cam and crank registration marks to make sure they are aligned.  You may have to move the chain one tooth on the gear to get the marks aligned.

If the registration marks are way out of alignment (more than a couple gear teeth), I would pop the head off, put everything back in alignment, and reassemble.

If the cam and crank are not correctly aligned, you will chase problems forever, causing additional (and unwarranted) profanity.

1 hour ago, Ian said:

If you get out as far as upstate NY, I've got tools and a shop space if you need it.

This is not being very optimistic...

On 8/15/2023 at 10:50 PM, toddfx said:

Perfect, I am actually planning on trying to camp in Canyonlands one night,

The pro tip is to take Utah 128 out of Moab on your way east to Grand Junction.  Skips a good bit of I-70 and is absolutely beautiful.  And it entices you to do some 'spirited' driving.

Oh, and make sure you stop at every gas station when driving out West.  It may be a while before you see the next one...

30 minutes ago, jimk said:

And maybe a hamburger at the A&&W. 

I just got to get my car running...

Drop me a line when you get to Ft. Collins - I live in the area.  Happy to have you over for drinks or whatever.

This is the value of the FAQ!  Simple suggestions look pretty obvious in hindsight, but I only would have thought of them afterwards...

I am only waiting on some new flywheel/pressure plate bolts from @BLUNT to show up, then give this a try.  Maybe this weekend.  I don't know which procedure will work with my particular engine hoist, etc., but I have plenty of ideas to try.

I can't wait to get the engine in because I am very, very curious to see the car's stance on the new springs with the engine in place.

Every time I have removed and installed a motor, including a couple times in my 2002, I took it out the top.  Remove the hood, pull the radiator, use an engine hoist to wrestle it out.  And hope you don't bang/bend something in the process.

I have seen a couple blog posts where someone does the 2002 motor from the bottom, but I have never attempted it.  I'm hoping that it will be a smoother installation process.  I don't have a transmission lift, so I was going to try this with a normal engine hoist.  (Although I have a buddy who probably has a transmission lift if the consensus is that a transmission lift is required.)

What I am thinking is:

1. Get the front of the car way up in the air (at least another foot and a half in the picture below).

2. Roll the engine and transmission into place on the front suspension.

3. Set the car back down level on top of the engine/suspension.  (Crank down the springs with spring compressors before lifting.)

4. Use the engine hoist to gently and slowly lift the assembly into place.

I was thinking that I can rest the suspension on the bottom legs of the engine hoist, then roll the suspension/hoist into place with the car in the air at step 2.  I was going to pull the engine/suspension vertically using the hoist.

Am I missing something?

Are there any tricks that I need to worry about with this method? 

Would I be better off doing it the old-fashioned way (put the suspension in place, then wrestle the engine in from the top)?

Would I be better off using a transmission jack?

Any opinions?

Here's the motor (sans transmission) and the car currently:

Last summer before sending the car for paint, I flipped the car on its side using 2x4s front and back and two sets of block and tackle.  I used tires underneath the car, but most of the weight was on the 2x4s.  This method wasn't too bad, even when I was working alone.

At the time, I was too cheap to build/buy a rotisserie, but looking back, a rotisserie would have made the welding much easier.  Kind of wish I had done it out of the gate, since I wound up fabricating a structure for wheels when it went to paint.  The relatively small extra cost of a home-made rotisserie would have been money well spent.

When flipped on its side, I wire brushed the bottom and applied seam sealer.  Then used primer, a layer of color in custom color rattle cans, then a couple coats of tinted Raptor undercoat. 

The local paint guy suggested color underneath the undercoat, even though the undercoat was tinted.

4 hours ago, SydneyTii said:

Those Jack stands make me go cold!

lovely looking car btw and the engine just looks mint!!

Having the car up in the air makes it so much easier to work on, from the interior to the wiring - everything is easier to reach and less crouching over.  These jack stands are the Harbor Freight 6 ton models, not quite to the top notch.  The car is rock solid up there.  I use the platform for working on the sunroof/windows.

When the car was just back from paint and much lighter, there were a couple times where cranking on a bolt or shoving something into position caused it to move dangerously from its perch.  This was back when you could lift the whole front of the car by yourself.

Of course, I measured my garage (multiple times) to see if I could get a lift in there...

I keep telling myself that one or two solid weekends would get the car on the road, but there always seems to be the tiniest thing that needs to be ordered and another week goes by as I wait by the mailbox for yet another delivery.

Waiting on bits and pieces of small items, but every day, it is feeling a little bit closer.

Ready to add the 'new' Getrag 245 to the motor, then roll it under the car and lift it in. In the past, I have always pulled/installed the motor from the top, but I figured I would try it from the bottom this time.  It seems like a better option, but I would welcome any suggestions/comments.

All the glass is in, and the doors are almost fully assembled.  The interior is coming along, and I even installed the old seats (while waiting for recovered Recaros...)

9 minutes ago, its55 said:

this YouTube vid is interesting and may be useful, I think…

This video is well done and convinced me to give it a go a couple months ago, which I am glad I did.  By giving it a try, I certainly appreciated what the professionals were trying to do.

After watching the pros, they had a sense for how well the glass was fitting at each stage.  It may seem kind of mystical, but they were visualizing what needed to be done to get the glass to move where they wanted.  There was a *lot* of banging on the glass, pulling it and pushing it up or down, pulling it and pushing it inwards, all the while someone else was working on the gasket.  Sometimes they were trying to get the gasket lips to fold out, other times trying to get the gasket to rotate inwards, sometimes moving the glass 1/16in this way or an 1/16in that way.  Not something that gets communicated in a 15 min video.

A few years back, I had the windshield replaced on my 911.  The guy snapped the glass during the installation and had to come back a couple days later with new glass.  That experience spooked me about pushing/pulling too hard on the glass during installation, but emphasized how much physical labor and force was required.

The video above is well done, but makes it look much easier than it is in practice.

7 minutes ago, Lucky 7 said:

Next time you’re in Denver, hit me up if you want to check out the mess!👍

I will do that.  I'm almost ready to drop in the motor and start fussing with the new-to-me Getrag 5-speed and limited slip differential.  Should not be long.  This is the motor as pieces are being installed/fitted.

9 hours ago, Lucky 7 said:

Ooh, is that Caribe?  I’ve just been eyeballing that color for a potential future project. Looks great. And thanks for the tips on the glass install, I’ll be tackling that shortly. 

It's Agave.  I tried to install the rear glass four times and just could not get it to go.  It is definitely a two man operation.

A couple other tidbits about the glass:  I used URO aftermarket gaskets.  The installers normally prefer OEM gaskets, but these went in OK.  I also bought the windshield off the internet, but it was Pinkerton, which the guys said was the best brand (at which point they looked up their wholesale price which was considerably less than what I paid).  From what I could tell at the time I bought the windshield several months ago, there were no 2002 windshields in Denver, so I had it shipped.  They said they could have sourced it without a problem.

For the rear, it was very very tight, and it took considerable work to get the glass to fully seat.  Probably close to two hours with two guys working constantly.

For the front, we tried with the flexible metal cap that covers the weld seam, but the gasket's groove did not have enough width for the metal cap.  We took the metal cap off and the glass fit very well.

I haven't posted in a long time, mostly because I have been making slow progress on my '72 2002.  But today was a big step forward.

At golf a week ago, I met a couple local guys who own their own automotive glass business, Ascent Auto Glass in Loveland, CO.  They like doing classic cars. They came over this morning and installed the original rear glass as well as a new windshield.  I had tried multiple times without any luck on the rear glass, but they knew what they were doing.

I had read as many blog posts and youtube videos about installing the glass, but none of that compared to the experience of guys who have done hundreds or thousands of these in the past.  This is a job for the pros.

For the windshield, they used a mastic in both the groove for the glass and the groove for the frame.  The mastic goes in before the rope, and it squeezes out as the window works its way into place.  Should have no leaks.  And no blog post or youtube video even mentioned this professional trick.

For the rear, they installed it with the chrome strip installed, but they elected to do the windshield without the chrome strip first and install it later.  This is one of the jobs you don't want to try at home.  Get someone who knows what they are doing.

This was the best tool I found for the sound deadening material.

39 minutes ago, Rich said:

Good morning electricians, after making all sorts of other ground checks, to stop the bouncy temp gauge, I took out the old trusty Macartney Resto Guide and there on page 152 it sawy check the ground from the alternator to the block . So I took a look at mine and bingo that brown wire is hanging there not attached to anything, so I am hopping that is the solution. So question is, can I ground it by attahig it to the intake manifold, the existing wire will reach that, or will it ignite the gas fumes, ?? Picture to follow, thank you, Richard

Attach the ground wire to any metal part on the engine - the block is best or any bolt that attaches to the block.  There will be no sparks to ignite gas fumes.

20 hours ago, Dudeland said:

Ok so one quick question.  

 

What is the best way to deal with the brake line that runs under the drivers side floor pan?

 

Disconnect the brake line from the MC?? Or work around it? 
 

Maybe the answer will be obvious when I get underneath it tomorrow. 
 

Thanks

 

If you are going through all the trouble to cut, grind, and weld in new metal, just order a set of new, shiny brake lines.  They will look gorgeous and highlight your hard work.

Just now, its55 said:

 

Thats why i haven’t bought from them. Their shipping costs have always made them the most expensive for the parts i’ve ordered. Thats why its good to know shipping costs!

Agreed.  I made the mistake of buying from Ireland early on in my restoration.  I bought a bunch of items, each of which had $15-30 worth of shipping charges which added up over $250 of shipping.

However, they would not ship the whole order until the very last part showed up, which was weeks later - even though I already overpaid to ship each part individually.  They also only occasionally answer emails from customers and rarely answer the phone.  I learned my lesson.

I have been buying from Blunt seemingly every week with their $12 flat rate shipping - and responsive emails.

You could buy from Ireland, who are more than happy to charge $17 for shipping two small screws and a handful of nuts.

Shipping *can be* a profit center for some vendors.

3 hours ago, RichenFamous said:

Found the same exact one in my car when I pulled the gauges. The nut fit perfect on a 2 5/8 VDO gauge mounting bracket. Maybe PO left it there for next owner, you, just to mess with your head 😅. I tend to leave notes/treasure in cars and house remodels for the next keeper to find because I love finding them myself. 
🍻
 

I found about $20 worth of quarters when I removed the dashboard about a year ago.  I kept them in the little cubby on the left side of the instrument cluster (for the Kansas Turnpike), and they all slid between the dashboard pieces.  What's in the picture are just the quarters that didn't fit in my pocket...

On 3/16/2023 at 8:45 PM, bavariaboy said:

It seems to me it is more than a cut of a few deals. The Pastel Bavaria sold on BaT for      .  The photos and copy, lifted from BaT appear on Grit Car.  I have exchanged emails with "Mario", he has sent more photos and more copy(both from the BaT ad fo course). Even set up a March 21 date for a friend of mine to do a PPI.

 

They cover taxes and fees and offer free shipping anywhere with free return within seven days of delivery.

 

Seems to me they don't want a cut of a few deals, they want my money!

 

Read the research others have done above. Scam pure and simple.

This is a very straightforward DCMA takedown procedure for BaT, as soon as you locate the Internet Service Provider.  The site would be taken down tomorrow.  Blatant copyright infringement.